NU Bulldogs coach Jeff Napa in the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament.
Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Despite pulling ahead of Ateneo in the standings, National University still does not consider themselves as league leaders.
The Bulldogs, who now hold a 4-1 record, took the top spot after escaping Adamson on Saturday, 58-54, at Mall of Asia Arena.
However, coach Jeff Napa still believes the team has a long way to go with the tournament only midway through the first round.
“I can’t say we are solo first. Here in the UAAP, one blink and you might be at the bottom already. Hopefully it doesn’t happen to us, knock on wood,” said Napa.
Just below NU are the Blue Eagles (3-1), defending champion University of the Philippines (3-1) and Season 84 semifinalist La Salle.
The head tactician also downplayed the team’s good start and said they still need to win more games to be an established contender.
“We can’t celebrate because we’re here. This is nothing to us because we still need to win more games. Safe to say, we know what we want to achieve this season so we can’t be content,” he said.
NU Bulldogs’ John Lloyd Clemente. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Napa also called out the naysayers of NU, saying there are critics that want to rush the Bulldogs’ progression.
“Some people want to rush this team, they think it’s that easy. But we have to take our wins as a team. I tell them we are not strong individually but we’re strong enough if we play as a group.”
Only one player scored in double digits for the Bulldogs with John Lloyd Clemente scoring 14 points and two steals.
The team, however, came together on the defensive end as they snatched 15 steals all in all while forcing the Soaring Falcons to 23 turnovers. They also locked down Adamson to a lowly 32.1 percent shooting clip from the field.
Up next for the 2022 Filoil EcoOil champion are the Green Archers, who also won in convincing fashion on Saturday against Far Eastern University, 87-70.
Napa said the squad will have to prepare immensely after seeing La Salle dominate the Tamaraws.
“On Wednesday, we have La Salle. You can see in their game that they bombed FEU. That’s another strong team, we have to be ready. I always say give 1,000 percent effort but in this game against La Salle, we might need 2,000,” said Napa.
“Physically and mentally, my lineup should be ready to have a 16-man strong performance,” he added.